Dissidia Calamitas Infinita NT
Dissidia Calamitas Infinita NT is a team-based fighting game. Conceptualised as a sequel to Dissidia Calamitas Infinita, it features new characters, story arcs and stages, with gameplay modelled after Dissidia NT. Rather than following the storylines of the original DCI, DCI NT is set in the dying dream of Amaterasu. Story Amaterasu's Awakening I woke alone. The morning light filtered through the curtains of our room, dancing across the pristine crystal surfaces. There are no living things to dirty our quarters, nor any gods either. We've made sure of that. It is impossible to tell how long I have slept. I feel that I had just fallen asleep with you the night before, and yet, there is a stiffness to my limbs that is wholly unfamiliar to me, as if I have been in deep hibernation. What is more: you are not beside me, smiling to my awakening. Nor are there any clues to suggest that you have left me a surprise. You are a tricky one. I leave our room, already half-certain that this is one of your games, ready to laugh in delight or exasperation. But you are not in any of the corridors or rooms of our palace, nor our grounds, not in all the frozen scenes we created. You are not in the graveyard you so loved, nor the place where we watch the sun fall into the ocean (and how I adored mocking your jealousy over that!). I roam, lost in all the vastness of the world that is ours. Nothing in this world exists except by our pleasure - and yet, in it, I see not a single recent mark of your hand. You must be long gone, but to where? There is no way that you would leave our home. I do not know how long I have wandered Sundry, looking for you. The sun is at my beck and call, and the stillness is so great that even my sense of time is muddled. Perhaps, I think, you would like this. This tranquility is rather like the enforced stasis of the grave. My darling, do you remember the orchards of our palace in bloom? I am walking through them now, and have commanded the sun to set, just as I recalled it. You made the blossoms fall for us (there is so much beauty in death, which only you realised. Until you taught me), so we walked through a storm of them, petals kissing our faces, us kissing each other. The flowers are falling for me now, and for one moment, I think I glimpse you from behind, vanishing into the growing shade beneath the trees. I miss you so much. Helel, I think something is terribly wrong with me. I'm falling apart or the world is or both. Sundry is so beautiful, and yet, I can feel- what? An echo. Shadows nibbling at the edges of my consciousness. The faintest reverberations of memories that I am just short of grasping the significance of. It is like the suspicion of a malignancy within me. I remember- How did I end up in the city? It's the city the humans left behind, one of the few that our family left standing. We preserved it, I remember: you, because you thought it was such a pristine, sterile reminder of death; I, because I thought it was pretty. Maybe nostalgia. They used to worship me here, you know. They always liked worshipping me more than you, silly things. The sun gives life, and you took it away. But one day, I was going to take it all. That day, you will take me. Don't look so sad. I see you staring at me with those darkling eyes of yours, soft with sorrow. A god should not let sadness dim their pride; that is what mortals do. My love, you are the god of death, and I will be glad when you are here to take me and all the rest of this sorry world when it is time. All of it belongs to you. As I belong to you, and you to me. So why are you sitting so far up there, in that skyscraper? Leaning from the window, as if ready to fall down to me, and yet you stay still. Do you want me to go up to you? What kind of game is this? I look, but there is no entrance - only the seamless perfection of black glass. I stretch out my hand to you, but you are gone. When I turn around, I am by the lake. The lake is not by the city. I remember when I dried it to salt, and you reaped such a fell harvest, in those days when we decided it was time to teach the mortals true terror. The lake is not by the city, I remind myself again, jerking me back to the reality of things. This keeps happening to me. I turn, and suddenly I am in another place, far away. It's not a stretch that I might have travelled there, but when I reach back into my memory, there is nothing - not even a blankness to suggest amnesia. The emptiness terrifies me. Yes, I admit it, Helel. I'm terrified. Which is broken: me, or Sundry? Why are you standing across the shore of the lake? Why aren't you here next to me? By the time I run across its surface, you are gone. Helel, I need you. Let's not get into a stupid argument right now. It's not the time for power-plays or strife (didn't you promise me you would never do that? Didn't you promise me we were different?). Why won't you slow down? I see you everywhere I go, but you always walk away without a single word. Helel, please, I'm frightened. I know I would feel better with you by my side. Why don't you stop? Just stop. I'm tired (and since when do I get tired?). I don't want to chase you. I want to sleep again. I want to see your face. I want to slap you senseless for doing this to me. It's not funny, Helel. I feel so cold. Why would a sun god feel cold? Absurd. I dreamt that I looked down and my hands were broken bones. They're fine now. I want them around you. I want them around your neck. What the fuck do you want? Do you want me to kill? Would that please you, my beloved, my darling one - will you be summoned by a surfeit of death? The shadows in my mind tell me of conflict, of so much blood lost in my name and yours, of battles so numerous that they drown out each other, bleed through memory, and even death will not staunch them. If you want the horizons darkened by war, I will make it so. Here, see them fight. Look at all that frenzy over nothing. Watch them crush and be crushed. Yes, I remember battle. So many battles... Through the mists of blood, I see you, garnet silhouette against scarlet. Slowly, you nod to me, and turn away. Helel, my love. Please wait for me. Please. Synopsis The sun goddess, vanquished at the end of Dissidia Calamitas Infinita, now lies broken and battered within the fragments of the Embodiment. A god does not die easily, however, not even after so long in hibernation. Amaterasu dreams of better times, and her dreams are still powerful enough warp worlds, calling forth warriors from across time and space. The summoned sleepers are now trapped in Amaterasu's dream world, a shifting kaleidoscope of her own memories of Sundry in its glory, the fragments of the broken land and endless battles she glimpsed in her hibernation, and splinters from their own worlds. Key to Amaterasu's dream are two figures, Adhara and Gero. Adhara, the remnants of Amaterasu's power gathered into a dream form, is intent on stabilising the dream to restore both Sundry and Amaterasu to their full power. To that end, she calls upon the warriors to devote themselves to her. But who, then, is Gero, the smiling god who wears the face of Helel, Amaterasu's old lover? He whispers that he knows the truth, and if the sleepers but follow him, they will understand why the dream must end so that they can wake. But why follow? If the echoes of a god can force the dream into their own shape, why not a strong-minded warrior? And so the factions spring up, as those meant to lead strive to shape the dream themselves, using their followers to bolster the power of their will. And so Sundry once again is torn by strife. It's enough to make one question one's own identity...especially for those who are meant to be dead. Are they dreamers? Or the dreams of others asleep? Or are they the real deal, caught in the death throes of a goddess? ...and what will happen when she awakens, or dies? Setting The Sundry of DCI NT is far different to the one in DCI. Gone are the endless wastes of ash, the ruins and remnants of the past. Amaterasu remembers Sundry at its height, covered in shining cities awash with magic. She remembers it when it was empty, the beautiful, half-ruined, crystalline domain that belonged only to her and Helel. And she glimpses snatches from Sundry's destruction, war-torn and barely held together by the Embodiment. Locations shift wildly between the three time periods, and are also influenced by Shards drawn from other worlds, and the dreams of whoever imposes their will upon that area. As such, the world will change depending on the characters' actions during the storyline. The map of Amaterasu's dream is circular, with eight Domains spread equidistantly, and a central hub. Initially, seven of the Domains are fixed by the presence of Summons and their totems. Once this influence is cleansed, the underlying setting of that Domain is revealed and can be claimed by a faction. Locations drawn from Sundry itself are subject to a shifting cycle, designated by the presence of the sun (representing Amaterasu's state at the time). In the Prime phase, the sun is at its largest. Locations are drawn from Amaterasu's memory of Sundry in its prime, when it was covered in the cities of men, arrogant in their science and magic. The Pair phase, with a smaller sun, features a half-ruined Sundry, immediately following the apocalypse of the God's wrath. The Post-apocalyptic phase, when no sun is in the sky, is most reminiscent of the original DCI Sundry, and is a blasted wasteland of ash. Initially, locations will shift regularly through these phases, but a sufficiently strong will can freeze Amaterasu's dream into a particular setting. Locations Drawn from Sundry itself *'Palace': the Palace is the first available location. It serves as a Hub and designated neutral zone between Adhara, Gero and the other factions, and is thus under no one's control. **Prime: **Pair: **Post-apocalyptic: *'Gardens' *'The Silver City' *'The Temple of the Eclipse' **Prime: At its height, the temple is a beautifully preserved work of art devoted to worship of Amaterasu. **Pair: Abandoned by their gods, the inhabitants of Sundry rebelled against them. The temple was defaced in one of their futile displays of rebellion. When they attempted to burn it down, Amaterasu retaliated, sweeping through the temple in a terrible wave of flame and burning all within it alive. **Post-apocalyptic: patched together with bits stolen from other temples and churches, the Temple of the Eclipse becomes the Ruined Temple of DCI Sundry. *'Powerplant': *'Tower of the Heavens' **Prime: A recent creation only made possible through the cooperation of many nations for the purpose of creating an edifice worthy of the great gods, the Tower received its name for being high enough that it is said Amaterasu lounges at its height. Inside, the Tower is part world market, part government embassy, and part religious temple. **Pair: As Amaterasu vanishes, so too does the love for her great tribute. The Tower is the first thing the humans of Sundry take their rage out on, only for it to collapse on top of them; now the Tower stands at half its height, and its base is covered in debris and whispers of ghosts. **Post-apocalyptic: Once fallen, the great Tower rises again suddenly - only now, it is made of crystal and ice instead of glass and steel. All around it the ruins are half-frozen and covered in crystal dust and ash... and there are whispers that a new, dangerous god-queen resides at the top. Shards *Alto: Delta's hometown. A sprawling, yet isolated village. In its center is a giant tower that reaches into the sky, and along it's outside is farmland and a giant forest. Found in the Domain of Blood. (More...) *Moon Base Prison: The maximum security off-world prison that S-Eyu was held in for more than two hundred years. For some reason, it is almost completely empty and devoid of both prisoner and warden. Near the top of the prison is a tower that ends in an observatory platform overlooking the planet Sevenless. Found in the Domain of Aether. *Crystal Tower: A bastardization of the Crystal Tower in Kings of Strife / Kings of Strife II, taking the form of an almost entirely translucent, explorable tower. Many of its floors lead to impossible structures and landscapes, including other castles, outdoor locales, and even anachronistic eras. Found at the heart of the Domain of Eternity. *Cydonia Manor: A direlect mansion that is pristinely cleaned and maintenanced on the inside. It blends a victorian aesthetic with modern styles, even allowing itself to gain gothic influence from the new environment it's found itself in. Though their master was not brought into the dream, Cydonia's army of vampiric ducks continue to guard the manor. Found within the Domain of Darkness. (More...) Domains *Domain of Darkness: Tesendar: The Domain where DiAbOlOs rules over takes the form of a functioning (and busy) industrial city shrouded by shadows. Darkness stretches to every corner of the street, with only scant amount of man-made light providing guidance. (More...) *Domain of Aether: White bird's domain takes the form of a cityscape ruins buried in layers of white reminiscent of a snowy remnant of human civilization. Uniquely, it manifested itself from thin air via a massive surge of magical upheaval. (More...) *Domain of Fire: The area ruled by Keruziel is centred around the Temple of the Eclipse and its surrounding village. Keruziel's presence has transformed the area into a maze of fire, with the Temple being the eye of the storm. Within the temple, its epitaphs and carvings have been changed to worship Keruziel. (More...) *Domain of Ice: Cocytus: Lotan's dominion follows a large span of the half-frozen Lidosian River, which slices across formerly lush steppes. Scarlet and sapphire glaciers project above the river and in certain places eclipse and twist it, creating waterfalls and ablating structures that once served Sundry in its Prime. (More...) *Domain of Blood: Remains of the Core: The remains of core where Amaterasu was once sealed and with the effects of Yomi turn area around into decoying wasteland and blood like toxic slim covering land and any remaining tree building even mountains near. Where core use be as become creator from land rotting away and remains of the Embodiment have become Azazel resting place. *Domain of Eternity: Tower of Waste: The barren ground-zero at the base of the Crystal Tower. A cold, lifeless plain, with ice for earth, unending snowfall, and death on the wind. One can enter the Tower and attempt to reach the wrathful Ghost-Who-Was-Queen at its top, if they dare. (More...) *Domain of Life: Lidosian Gardens: The verdant plains downstream of the river Lidosian. Jeff's presence has caused the land to explode with wild natural life, infused with both arcane and cybernetic energy and appearing to visitors more alien than terrestrial. Adjacent to, and holding off the frozen floes of, the frozen Cocytus domain to its north. *Domain of Crystal: Stages Representatives M = Marksman, V = Vanguard, A = Assassin, S = Specialist Main Roster Bonus Summons The summons are powerful manifestations of Amaterasu's dying will. They function as a "dreamcatcher" of sorts within Amaterasu's dying dream. Each of their totems are located in a specific location, known as Domains, and they are responsible for stabilizing Amaterasu's mental state and slowing down her degradation. These Domains are much more stable than the regular dream areas of Sundry, as they are strongly influenced by the summon. To gain control of a Domain, one must kill the summon and destroy its totem. In the beginning, eight summons exist. One is destroyed, leaving the remaining seven unbalanced. DiAbOlOs= ;Origin: Echoes of Strife ;Profile: Supreme archdemon of the dark. Speaks with a distinct accent of accentuating pronounces alternatively. Despite being feared for his devastating power, DiAbOlOs is also worshiped. It is said that DiAbOlOs once shared a fraction of his power to a royal family in exchange for gaining control of their body and mind. ;Abilities ;Domain |-| White bird= ;Origin: Rekanstuff ;Profile:A powerful bipedal fighting machine constructed with top-of-the-line futuristic technology and from the unknown field of "magic". This incarnation of White bird is an empty vessel operated by the lingering will of its pilot-Sanna Rekan. As such, it is able to imitate the speech and abilities of Sanna Rekan (to some extent), in spite of her absence. ;Abilities: ;Domain |-| Keruziel= ;Origin: Conquest ;Profile: An angel of flame and judgement. Keruziel was the first of her host, the Flame of Belias, Aspect of Redemption and Punishment. Unbound from her master, deprived of her sisters, Keruziel is now judgement alone. Her implacable belief in her own righteousness has created an indelible mark upon Sundry, wrought in fire. Keruziel cares little for talk of dreams and realities - in her domain, all who sin must be cleansed, and there are none who do not sin. ;Abilities: ;Domain File:TempleoftheEclipse.gif|Temple of the Eclipse |-| Lotan= ;Origin: Dragon Soul ;Profile: A serpentine demigod fallen from grace. Once imprisoned within a lost tribe's sacred artifact, Lotan exists without the bonds that shackled him in its original world. The plight of Amaterasu rings all too familiar to him. Lotan is dismissive of warriors who believe they can change the dreams of a god, and tolerates only minimal presence in its domain. Slow but terrible in anger, and very guarded. ;Abilities: ;Domain File:Cocytus.gif|Cocytus The river Lidosian was once the aorta of Sundry, providing a means of transport, irrigation, and livelihood for many residents of the Silver City. A series of engineered diversions stemmed part of its flow to nourish its magnificent gardens, and miners panned precious minerals from its nascent waters high in the mountains. These people are long gone, but the river remains. Upstream, the Lidosian is transformed by the Domain of Ice, its lifeblood absorbed into glaciers glowing coral and turquoise. While Lotan's presence has not completely choked off the river, many structures along its banks have been destroyed by tumultuous freezing and melting. This is most apparent in the highlands above the Silver City, near the Fallen Cradle. Here, spires of ice arrest the landscape, fed by the Lidosian and casting it in red-blue shadow. Bridges that once spanned the river lie crushed, waterfalls that never existed now roar seven-fold. If one chooses to investigate, a strange phenomenon is observed - immersing oneself in the water plunges the observer into a sudden, enveloping silence. Beware the emperor of this bitter domain - no words can describe the softly waxing storm of one denied life and death. |-| Azazel= ;Origin: At Fate's End ;Profile:The Blood God Azazel, rouge Elknin of The Embodiment that desire it and his fellow Elknin death. Using the body of nameless man as shell as he slowly gain his strength. All he cares is taking the Embodiment place in exchange giving the nameless man his wish of a world of pain and suffering where death no longer exist. ;Abilities: |-| Ghost-who-was-Queen= ;Origin: Kings of Strife ;Profile: The legendary Queen of Eternia, reborn into a new body and corrupted after 10,000 years of death-like sleep. All traces of her original personality are gone, replaced by a hateful and unending disdain for all living things. After destroying the planet she slept on, she begins to cut a path through the cosmos as if in search for something, and leaves behind only ruin in her wake. She appears as a great mass of pure black cloak and shadow, with stunningly long golden chains of magic undulating from within and around her like tentacles. Exceedingly long white hair flows from her head, and her face and hands are kept hidden in shadow, from which only a single pair of glowing, unblinking golden eyes are visible. ;Abilities: |-| Jeff= ;Origin: Magical Space Adventures ;Profile: A sentient spaceship powered by a giant tree, raised by the gnome druid Betty and whose outer shell was constructed by the T'sa engineer Top Cat, largely from discarded scrap of other ships. Cheerful and exuberant to a fault, Jeff is always looking to make new friends, and protect those he has. ;Abilities: ;Domain File:LidosianGardens.gif|Lidosian Gardens Hello! This is Cocytus. Friend Lotan used to live here. A lot of people thought it looked scary, but I think it was beautiful in a Lotan sort of way. He was not a very talkative friend, but that's okay. Some friends just enjoy appreciating the world around them. I had to run my engine extra hot to visit Friend Lotan here and appreciate his world, but I didn't mind. Sometimes I ran it too hot, and Friend Lotan had to fix me. He was nice. I guess some people didn't think he was nice, and they killed him when I was gone. In the world I'm from, when you die you become a part of the world again, in some little way, so in a sense you don't ever really go away when you die, you just change. I don't know if it works the same way here. I can't feel him anymore, which makes me sad. But I like to believe that some part of him remains in this place, so I am going to take care of it for him. It's no longer beautiful in a Lotan sort of way, but I still think he's here, somewhere. I hope he thinks it's beautiful, even if it's in a Jeff sort of way. Category: Dissidia Calamitas Infinita